California

S: A Lightly golden, somewhat hazy body stands beneath a white frothy head. Decent lacing accrues on the sides of the glass, but the head dissipates, like a specter you’re not sure you saw. Small zippy bubbles make their way to the top.

A: A grapefruit citrus mixes with a subtle floral aroma. A pinch of pine.

T: Mirroring the aroma, citrus leads, followed by the floral component. Interesting hop choice. It finishes with a bit of cracker-y malt and firm but not bracing bitterness.
F: Medium-light. Gentle, but discernable carbonation. Excellent bitterness to balance the malt.
O: On the lighter side, but a smooth, easy-drinking IPA despite the 6.7% abv. It’s a bit of a departure from what we expect from Stone, but that’s by no means a bad thing. An intermediate-level IPA that will vanish quickly from your glass. Ooooooo!

A: Bold aroma of tangerine at first sniff. After a minute or two, you can also detect a small amount of mango or papaya. Simple but elegant.

S: Crystal-bright honey gold body, and a bone collar of dense foam on top. The head builds, the recedes quickly to a closely hugging ring of suds and a wash of microscopic bubbles in the center. Tiny bubbles drift to the top of the glass. Big bands of lacing.

T: After an initial blast of tangerine and citrus hoppiness, the malt emerges as white-bread crust and just a touch of caramel and molasses. Brief sweetness. The hops come in again at the end providing fruitiness and bitterness with an added pine.

F: Fine carbonation, medium-plus body. Oily and slick on the palate. Long, drying and bitter finish. Despite the 9%+ abv, no real sign of the alcohol via flavor or aroma.

O: Aggressively hopped and flavorful. Excellent aroma and just enough sweetness from the malt to provide a counterbalance. However, the hops and bitterness win out. Neat variation on the popular “drink it while its fresh” series by Stone.

S: The body pours a golden straw and sports a creamy bone head. The cap builds, lingers, then eventually settles down to a small, tight and hugging band of bubbles. Tiny bubbles helix their way to the top from the base of the glass. Lacing is thin, delicate but consistent bands with each sip. There’s a slight haze to this, but does not detract from the beauty.

A: Subtle but luscious watermelon, the slightest hint of funk, clean briny mineral, and soft malty sweetness comprise the nose. A strong sniff reveals the rind of the watermelon, not simply the meat. Another long sniff pulls out a faint floral aspect, it must be the Bravo hops.

T: Certainly the most interesting aspect of the beer, the fruit flavor is everything done right about fruit used in beer. The melon is present, but gentle, and melds with the pale malt and malted wheat into a lovely tang. The sea salt is there too, adding balance to the acidity and fruit. And, while it’s certainly sour, there a nice give and take between sweet and salty, sour and fruity.

F: Crisp, and dainty on the palate with ample carbonation, lending another element to its drinkability and and refreshing nature. The finish is relatively short, with a small dose of bitterness in addition to the melon flavor that rides along the entire time, beginning to end.

O: Excellent execution of a fruit-flavored gose, and less on the traditional side (no coriander for starters). Thirst-inducing and paradoxically, thirst-quenching. Sessionable at 4.2%, imagine this on draft after a day out hiking, biking, running, kayaking, or any other summer activity in the sun.

S: A rich dark, syrupy brown-hued body fills out the glass, capped by a quickly rising and receding bone colored head. The bottom of the beer at the base of my glass gives off a honey-gold spot. Lacing is minimal, but the head lingers as a small, perforated ring and a wispy, soapy film on the surface. Carbonation is hard to detect, as the opacity prevents me from seeing any bubbles. I’ll meet up with them in the mouthfeel section, I’m sure.

A: Dear Mash aroma, I love you, let me count the ways… a seductive blend of vanilla, caramel, and treacle greet the senses. Not far behind is a subtle brown bread and raisin. Lastly, a kiss of booze, gentle and belying the 12.5% abv of this malt-driven beauty.

T: I’ll continue to gush about this beer. Much of the aroma carries through to the taste. It’s all there, working together to romance the tongue and the taste buds. Rich creamy vanilla and caramel open the door, the molasses and raisin/fruitcake shows you to your table, and the barrel aging takes your order. I’ll have what I’m having. The time spent in the bourbon barrel is evident, but not overpowering. Very often I’ve found that brewers get carried away with the barrel, and lose the beer. Famille Rue got it just right. It’s decadent, sweet, and woody. Like well-aged spirits, it takes a long time for the burn of the alcohol to develop, nearly seconds later after the initial sip and its journey down the back of your throat. As it warms up, yup, it’s boozier, but it won’t stop me.

F: Finely nuanced carbonation. It provides just enough lift to keep this high-gravity brew from forcing itself on you. Medium + weight, both oily and smooth at the same time. The finish is gentle, but does add some tannic dryness from the barrel, and a gentle bitterness from the hops to keep the sweetness in check.

O: A finely-tuned bourbon barrel-aged English Barleywine. Easy to drink despite its alcohol content. I’ll go out on a limb and say Mash has great potential for aging, perhaps bringing in dark chocolate and port notes as the hops fade away. I had my Mash at roughly 8 months, imagine what a two or three year relationship with your beer cellar might yield. Well worth the price paid.

S: 3.75 A: 4.5 T: 4.75 F: 4.25 O: 4.5

Suggested food pairing: Heavily-blued cheese, hearty beef stew, Crème brûlée, fruit cake (for the few that actually eat it and don’t simply re-gift it as a frozen brick, year after year in family Christmas exchanges), and most definitively as a cocktail beer (on its own).